Putting off on essential appointments, like your hearing aid fitting, is all too easy amidst the hustle and bustle of day-to-day events. You may not even get around to shopping for hearing aids whatsoever. But hearing loss impacts more than just your ears and holding off on treatment can have negative effects on your whole life.
The link to cognitive decline
Scientists have proven a clear connection between untreated hearing loss and cognitive decline. This underscores the crucial importance of not holding off on treatment, as it can have adverse effects on your mental function too.
Hearing loss will get worse if it goes untreated
Naturally, it’s evident that putting off treatment for hearing loss isn’t helpful for preserving your auditory health. You inadvertently cause more damage to your hearing if you put off on getting a hearing examination or hearing aids if you need them.
You may find yourself constantly increasing the volume on your various devices, worsening the damage to your ears and accelerating the development of hearing loss. Wearing a hearing aid can help alleviate this by selectively amplifying particular frequencies, thereby slowing down the advancement of hearing loss.
The link between untreated hearing loss and cognitive function
Your brain and your hearing are intricately connected. Research indicates that untreated hearing loss can have significant repercussions on mental function. Over time, cognitive decline can be exacerbated by depression and anxiety brought on by social isolation.
Also, the restoration of normal hearing function can be complicated because untreated hearing loss will force the brain to adapt by reallocating mental resources from other functions, such as visual processes, over to auditory processes.
Navigating neuroplasticity
The brain’s phenomenal ability to adapt, known as neuroplasticity, is both a friend and a foe in this scenario. The brain will have a difficult time reverting back to its previous state after it rewires itself to accommodate for sustained untreated hearing loss.
However, it isn’t impossible to reverse these effects. In both the short and the long term, using hearing aids can bring considerable benefits even if you’ve held off on getting treatment for some time.
Schedule an appointment with a hearing specialist
You should obviously seek treatment as soon as you can, but even if you’ve put off for a while, it’s not too late to get help. If you’re ready to enjoy better hearing and stronger cognitive function, call us today for an assessment!
